Space Out at the Kennedy Space Center

Excerpt from Single White Female Backpacker part of the Teresa the Traveler series of books. I originally planned to spend five days in Orlando then return home, until a couple from Michigan informed me they were in town to watch the space shuttle launch. THERE WAS GOING TO BE A SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH? HOW FRICKIN COOL IS THAT? It was Monday and the launch was scheduled for Thursday February 24th, 2011 at 4:50 pm so I promptly logged onto hotels.com and booked a room at a less expensive hotel for a week. I assumed the space center would be a zoo on launch day, if I could even get a ticket, so I decided to rent a car and drive to a nearby beach to watch the launch then visit the center a few days later once the crowds had dispersed. After I settled into my new abode I went about the arduous task of renting a car. Unbeknownst to me, this was the final flight of the space shuttle Discovery and one of the few remaining launches of any space shuttle because the program was coming to an end. People from all around the world had flooded into the area to witness this historical moment and rental cars were nearly impossible to find.

Space Shuttle Program Officially called the Space Transportation System, NASA’s Space Shuttle Program which was started in the late 1960’s manages the only winged manned spacecraft to achieve orbit and landing. The reusable orbiter crafts are launched vertically carrying up to 8 astronauts and 50,000 pounds of payload into orbit with the help of two reusable solid rocket boosters (SBR) and an expendable external tank (ET) containing liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The SBR’s are removed from the craft by explosive bolts about 2 minutes after liftoff and are parachuted into the ocean where they are recovered by ships and refurbished for reuse. The ET remains with the orbiter until it reaches 17,500 mph, the speed necessary for low Earth orbit. At this time the main engines are shut down and the ET is jettisoned downward where it burns upon re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. After completion of the mission (most of which last from several days to two weeks) it is then able to independently remove itself from orbit by means of its Maneuvering System and re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. During reentry, the orbiter heats up to over 1,500 degrees Celsius and would disintegrate were it not for the thermal protective system which includes LI-900 Silica ceramics that cover its underside. Once in the lower atmosphere the orbiter acts like a conventional glider except that it has a much higher descent rate. Aerodynamic braking slows it down from 424 mph to 215 mph at touchdown compared to 160 mph for a jet airliner. The landing gear is lowered prior to touchdown and a drag chute is deployed to slow the craft down once on the runway. The Vision for Space Exploration, announced by President George W. Bush in 2004, called for the space program to complete the International Space Station by 2010 and then retire the Space Shuttle to make way for the development of a new crew exploration vehicle that would enable manned missions to Mars and beyond.

Discovery’s Final Flight With the shuttle program coming to an end, the opportunities to watch a shuttle launch were becoming fewer and fewer. After the Discovery, the Endeavor has once more flight on the manifest and the Atlantis has the possibility of another flight and that may be the end. People had flooded into Orlando from all over the world to witness the launch. The Daytona 500, a NASCAR race had just ended on the Sunday and many race fans also remained in town to watch the launch. Needless to say, finding a car to take me to one of the viewing sites 50 miles away proved to be a challenge to say the least. I inquired at a number of places only to find out they had no cars available and every bus tour out to the space center had been sold out months in advance. It was the day before the launch and I still hadn’t found a ride and was starting to lose hope of seeing my first and last space shuttle launch. After getting a no from the rental company at my hotel, I was walking over to the nearby Starbucks to drown my sorrows in a latte when I heard a voice ask me if I needed any attraction tickets. I told the gentleman working the ticket booth about my shuttle dilemma then asked if by chance he had a tour going out to the launch site. He said no but suggested I ask the concierge at my hotel for help. I had assumed she would only direct me to the rental company in the booth beside her so I never bothered but perhaps there was a chance she could help. I took a u-turn back to my hotel and much to my delight the concierge was able to arrange a car through a company called EZ-Rental - the name was fitting. First thing the following morning they picked me up from my hotel and drove me to their office which just happened to be on the way to the Kennedy Space Center. Within a few hours I was in Titusville waiting for the launch. It was only noon giving me almost five hours to kill until launch time so, not wanting to burn in the searing heat, I did what women do best: shop. I wanted something that would forever remind me of that special day and I found it at the JC Penny down the street from the empty lot where I was parked. It was a sterling silver ring that had the word Faith engraved into it and on the inside read, “Live by faith not by sight.” How appropriate I thought but when I checked the price it was $50…a significant amount more than I was willing to pay for a souvenir. I was about to put it down when I noticed a sign saying 60% off. I brought it to the checkout counter and when the lady told me it was only $20, I knew that ring was meant for my finger. I took it as the Universe reminding me to trust, something I had been working on since before my trip. I know you need to believe it to see it, not the other way around and thankfully the pioneers of space travel felt the same way or there would be no shuttle. Thirty minutes before launch I scoured the beachfront in search of the perfect place to watch. Unlike the beautiful sandy Cocoa Beach where many like to witness launches, the waterfront in Titusville was filled with marshes and reeds but I was still able to secure a tiny patch of white sand to set up my towel and plunk my butt down.

With only seconds to go, I focused my camera on what I thought was the launch pad and saw absolutely nothing. Thankfully I pulled my face up from the lens long enough to see everyone pointing to the left at a ball of fire pushing its way up from the ground. With no time to spare, I quickly focused on my new target and managed to get a few shots and some video before it got too far away. After all, it only takes the shuttle 8 minutes to reach space. The after two days in orbit they dock at the International Space Station. About 5 minutes after the launch I raced to my car to get a jump on traffic. The news reports had estimate over 40,000 people expected to show up for the launch making traffic a nightmare. If I had any idea I would be stuck in traffic for 6 hours inching my way 50 miles back to Orlando I am not sure if I would have rented a car for $100, spent $26 on gas and hung out for five hours all for 4 minutes of excitement. Thank God I had no idea because I may have missed my chance to witness history in the making. This was the final flight of the Discovery and the second to last space shuttle mission. Arriving at the Kennedy Space Center in 1983, Discovery was the third in a fleet of orbiters which included: Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour. Discovery’s last mission, STS-133 was to attach the Permanent Multi-Purpose Module (PMM) to the International Space Station. It also carried the third of 4 ExPRESS Logistic Carriers (ELC) as well as Robonaut. What’s all this high tech Star Trek stuff you ask? I admit I had to consult Wikipedia because I had absolutely no clue. Let me translate. The PMM is primarily used for storage of spare supplies and waste. Basically it’s a space garbage can and closet in one. The ELC is an un-pressurized attached payload platform that provides mechanical mounting surfaces, electrical power and command and data handling services for science experiments. In other words it is a science lab where science geeks can do science experiments. Robonaut is a humanoid robot designed to work alongside the astronauts. He is like C-3PO from Star Wars. So basically the mission was both historic and important and it was well worth the slowest drive in recorded history to witness. I could finally check watch a space shuttle launch off my bucket list.

Wikipedia - The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is the United States launch site that has been used for every NASA human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for the U.S. government's civilian space program from three pads at the adjoining Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Its Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) is the fourth-largest structure in the world by volume and was the largest when completed in 1965. Located on Merritt Island, Florida, the center is north-northwest of Cape Canaveral on the Atlantic Ocean, midway between Miami and Jacksonville on Florida's Space Coast. It is 34 miles (55 km) long and roughly 6 miles (10 km) wide, covering 219 square miles (570 km2). A total of 13,100 people worked at the center as of 2011. Approximately 2,100 are employees of the federal government; the rest are contractors. Since December 1968, all launch operations have been conducted from Pads A and B at Launch Complex 39 (LC-39). Both pads are on the ocean, 3 miles (5 km) east of the VAB. From 1969–1972, LC-39 was the departure point for all six Apollo manned Moon landing missions using the Saturn V, the largest and most powerful operational launch vehicle in history, and was used from 1981–2011 for all Space Shuttle launches. The Shuttle Landing Facility, located just to the north, was used for most Shuttle landings and is among the longest runways in the world.

The KSC Industrial Area, where many of the center's support facilities are located, is 5 miles (8 km) south of LC-39. It includes the Headquarters Building, the Operations and Checkout Building and the Central Instrumentation Facility. KSC was also home to the Merritt Island Spaceflight Tracking and Data Network station (MILA), a key radio communications and spacecraft tracking complex. The center operates its own short-line railroad. KSC is a major central Florida tourist destination and is approximately one hour's drive from the Orlando area. The Visitor Complex offers public tours of the center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Because much of the installation is a restricted area and only nine percent of the land is developed, the site also serves as an important wildlife sanctuary; Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore are other features of the area. Center workers can encounter Bald Eagles, American alligators, wild boars, Eastern Diamondback rattlesnakes, Florida panthers and Florida manatees. KSC is one of ten major NASA field centers, and has several facilities listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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